A Home Office compliance visit: what to expect and what to have ready
What officers may do, who they may speak to, and which records they may ask to see, from the sponsor guidance.
Published 22 October 2026 · 4 min read
Checked against official guidance on 22 October 2026. This post reflects GOV.UK: Sponsor guidance part 3, sponsor duties and compliance (version 08/26, published 28 August 2026). Guidance changes, so check the linked pages for the current version. This is information, not legal advice.
How visits work
The guidance says compliance officers may visit your premises, announced or unannounced, or hold a check by video. They carry Home Office identification. You must give full access to premises under your control and make sure third-party sites where your sponsored workers work also cooperate.
Officers do not indicate their assessment during the visit, so you will not know how it went on the day.
What officers may do
- Verify information from your licence application and your worker applications, including photographing premises.
- Check that you are meeting your sponsor duties.
- Speak to sponsored workers, current or former, and to staff involved in recruitment.
- Check other workers for right to work compliance, and carry out criminal record and civil penalty checks on people associated with you.
What they may ask to see
The guidance also says HMRC checks pay on a regular basis.
- The records listed in Appendix D, including right to work records, on paper or electronically.
- Consent letters for sponsored children under 18.
- Your recruitment practices and any resident labour market test evidence.
- Any other documents about your sponsored workers or how your organisation is run that are relevant to compliance.
Getting ready
Because visits can be unannounced, the safest preparation is steady: records that match what actually happens, a named person who knows where everything is, and workers who can describe their own role, pay and workplace accurately. If a record and reality have drifted apart, fix the cause and report what needs reporting, rather than tidying up the paperwork.
How Zetta HR helps
Zetta HR can ask a sponsored worker to confirm their role, day-to-day duties, workplace and hours in their own words, then compare the answer with the sponsorship record and flag differences. The evidence pack shows what was recorded and when.
Sources
More guides
Right to work checks from 1 October 2026: the methods, who is covered and what to keep
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